Welcome to the official website of the world famous Pasadena Roof Orchestra.

The Orchestra was founded nearly fifty years ago by John Arthy in 1969, and enjoys a busy concert schedule playing the finest music from the 1920s and 1930s.

The orchestra has played in most of the major concert houses in Europe, including the Musikhalle in Hamburg, the Berlin Philharmonic, the Queen Elizabeth Hall London, the National Concert House in Dublin, the Doelen in Rotterdam. It has toured the USA four times, recorded more than forty albums, the latest releases as CDs (available here) The Orchestra has provided music for films, such as the ‘Comedian Harmonists’ (Josef Vilsmaier,) and completed a soundtrack for ‘Just a Gigolo’ 1980 with David Bowie and Marlene Dietrich (her last film). It has appeared at Buckingham Palace (Christmas party 2010), and its soundtracks have been used in numerous advertising campaigns.

The Orchestra presents an unbeatable live concert at theatres across Europe (see tour dates) presenting the songs of George Gershwin, Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, and orchestrations from Duke Ellington, Ray Noble, Fletcher Henderson.The show also includes Songs that were sung by Fred Astaire, Bing Crosby and Al Bowlly, all served up with a liberal dash of ‘British humour’ as one critic put it